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Tumwater WA 98512

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How Valerie Smothers Fulfilled her Dream to Open a Massage School

Opening your own massage school is a daunting task. It takes time, money, planning, and a thorough understanding of the subject at hand. But anything worthwhile is worth the sacrifice. When I asked Valerie Smothers, LMT, why she decided to open a massage school, there was a heaviness about her answer – she wanted to give back to the profession that had given her so much and teach others to see massage therapy as a respectful profession. 

Open a Massage School

Val knew she wanted to open a massage school – but had no idea of where or how to start.  She came across Bodymechanics Institute and had a conversation on the phone with owner Shari Aldrich. That followed with an in person meeting at the 2019 AMTA National Convention. Val decided that having a team help her launch her school so she didn’t have to do it alone just made sense.

Bodymechanics Institute walked her through the process – from curriculum to licensure. Her onboarding included a visit to the Tumwater campus of Bodymechanics School of Myotherapy & Massage and seeing the school in action helped her visualize how she wanted her school to operate.

I made sacrifices to make this dream happen. There is a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that you put into starting a school. I was fortunate to start out with a great foundation and have since blossomed and made it my own.” 

When Valerie decided to take that leap of faith and open a massage school, there was only one other school in the area, and it did not live up to the standards that the massage therapy profession deserved. 

Valerie had been practicing as a massage therapist for 20 years before she decided to open her massage school at the age of 47. 

I had been told my entire massage career that I should open a massage school. I really did have a love for teaching, so it just made sense.” 

Before Valerie took that leap, she started volunteering at the American Massage Therapy Association, so that she could gain more education about the massage profession. Valerie knew that if she was ever going to make it as a teacher and a massage school owner, she needed to surround herself with people who have a lot of experience and expertise in that area.

Being a part of the AMTA also helped Val understand how massage therapy is taught in other parts of the country, especially in the bigger cities. The more time Valerie spent with others in the massage profession, the more she was called to open a school in her hometown in rural Kentucky. 

There are still problems with massage therapy having a bad reputation and not being looked at as a respectful profession. The downfall has always started with the schools because they are the foundation of the industry. If I wanted to ensure that the industry continues to produce excellent massage therapists, I had to do something about it.” 

Val’s lightbulb moment to open a massage school

Valerie had been ruminating over opening a massage school for a while now, but her lightbulb moment really happened when she was working on a client. While she was in her massage session, she asked herself “what if someone who was not properly educated wants to open up a massage school, because they see it as a profit-making machine rather than a respectful profession?” Valerie also noticed some red flags going on in the profession in her area. 

“When people in the industry would say that they give a great back rub, I knew something needed to change. How are we going to be respected as a health care professional if we do not use the same terminology as other health care professionals? When we speak the same language as doctors, physical therapist, nurses, and other healthcare professionals and stay current with the profession, we will be seen and given the respect we deserve as a profession worthy of the title. Saying that we give a great back rub is looking down on the profession.” 

Valerie also noticed that the schools in the area were not living up to the standards that should be set by the industry. That is why Valerie decided that she did not want to buy a school from someone but wanted to create her own from scratch.

I am a one-man band; I teach all the classes and do all the marketing myself. I was 47 when I started the school in August 2019. I felt excitement, stress, anxiety, relief.”

Her school launched with two students in the day class and one student in the evening class, but Val brought ingenuity to the classroom and involved the community by creating her “Palpation Peeps” program. In March 2020 the pandemic started and she had to make some major pivots. Palpation Prep closed to in person education but she was able to continue with classes online.

16 weeks of zoom school ensued until they were able to resume normal classes. Curing the shut-down, Val and her students would meet in person on occasion to review the stuff missed while online. “It was a process, but we made it work.”

Val says: “I was proud of my accomplishments but stressed about all the time and money I had put into it. However, I did not want to give up. It is my goal to have excellent, well-educated massage therapists in every community. They need to be accessible to people when they need them. I want my school to become the hub of the community; a place where people in the industry can come to take CE classes and learn and grow as a profession.”

Three years later, Valerie has expanded her class size and has students interested in becoming teachers. 

Shari Aldrich says this “Val is incredibly determined and resourceful as a massage school owner. During the pandemic, Val and her students joined with Bodymechanics School on a couple of occasions on Zoom for ethics classes to take part in a larger discussion. I’ve seen her attend several national conventions – she’s always interested in growing and learning, which makes her the ideal leader.”

We are beyond proud of Val and what she is building in Kentucky!

If you are interested in learning more about how you can open a massage school, just reach out and we can discuss our full program. Call 360-350-0015 for more information, or click here to read more.

By Melissa Robbins, LMT

Requirements to Open a Massage School

Understanding the requirements to open a massage school can be difficult to figure out. I speak with massage therapists weekly who are frustrated with navigating their state licensing boards to figure out all of the requirements to open a massage school.

I think it’s exciting that there are so many massage therapists who are interested in opening a massage school! The way I look at it is that in the years between 2011 and today, hundreds of massage schools have closed – yet still hundreds of massage therapists have reached out in the last year asking for information on how to open a massage school.

We are definitely a profession filled with passionate people who care about improving the quality of massage education!

Anti Franchise Massage School
AMTA National Convention 2019 – Indianapolis

In 2019, my team attended the AMTA National Convention in Indianapolis where we had over 60 people sign up for information on how to open a massage school using our done-for-you system. That is encouraging.

** UPDATE ***

COVID-19 has created a greater burden to the massage industry. Massage schools closed around the country. Those that stayed open saw decreased admissions for several years. This slow-down created an increase in demand for massage therapists in nearly every city in the US.

Quite frankly, we cannot currently keep up with the demand for massage therapists.

Perhaps you have felt the pinch yourself. From franchise owners to small clinics, the demand is there from clients seeking massage yet there aren’t enough LMTs to keep up with the demand. I am talking to LMTs daily who realize their city needs a massage school.

I can certainly understand! After I graduated from massage school in 2006, I began traveling the country helping teach CE classes. I saw firsthand the lack of knowledge by LMTs around pathologies, and how to treat conditions that we commonly face as a massage therapist – such as whiplash and shoulder pain and dysfunction.
These are conditions I learned to treat while still a student in school!

What I saw around the country is precisely why I bought my massage school in 2010 and why I am committed today to help solve this problem by helping passionate massage therapists open their own massage school.

Challenges to opening a massage school

There are challenges to opening a massage school that may stop many therapists from moving forward on their dreams.

  • Financial
  • Obtaining state approval
  • Curriculum
  • Hiring / training instructors
  • Finding a school location
  • Recruiting students
  • Building the schedule
  • Doing it all while working

For many massage therapists, these challenges are enough to have them set their goals aside for years – silently dreaming of opening their own massage school.

I spoke with a massage therapist in Mississippi recently who has dreamt of opening a massage school for more than 10 years! That’s a long time to hold on to a dream…. Her challenges included many of the bullet points above.

Franchise massage school

We are NOT a franchise massage school. In fact, I call us the “anti-franchise massage school.” Many of my entrepreneur friends and mentors have pressured me to create a franchise massage school – but I am 100% against a franchise program.

Primarily, my goal is to HELP massage therapists reach their goals with their own school, that we help them open and then step back into a mentorship role. (See more of my story here –> http://bit.ly/ShariAldrich)

The problem I see with the franchise school model is that it doesn’t allow the owner the flexibility to create a program that they feel is needed in their area. Franchisees are required to “follow the program.” And that is precisely the problem with many massage programs in the US that were designed with a corporate feel and mass producing mediocre massage therapists.

The Bodymechanics System will help with requirements to open a massage school

The Bodymechanics business-in-a-box system is designed to help massage therapists build their program – with a jump start using our system. We start with a base 700-hour program that incorporates the requirements of each state licensing programs. We train owners how to operate their school (see more here), and then over time, owners feel confident to begin tweaking the program as they see fit.

This is NOT a one-size fits all approach.

Take Valerie Smothers, LMT as an example. Val lives in Benton, Kentucky where there is another massage school in her community. Over the years, Val has felt a need to have another school to give her community options. She has also felt that her school would be based on a medical approach to massage, where the other school does not.

This fills a need in her community to meet the needs of interested students.

Val used the Bodymechanics system to do/help with the following:

  • complete the application to the 2 state organizations in Kentucky
  • build school documents (operating manuals, catalogs)
  • recruit students
  • design her school
  • implement school curriculum and schedule
  • purchase school equipment
  • hire and train staff
  • design school marketing material
  • and more

Now that she has opened her doors, our relationship has changed to mentoring. We have weekly check in phone calls. We spent a day together at the AMTA National Convention masterminding growth strategies for her school.

How to afford a massage school

There are certainly expenses to cover when you choose to open a massage school – and it’s not cheap. Yet the rewards are worth every penny spent when you realize the value you are bringing to your community with each class you graduate.

There is a lot to consider financially with opening a massage school, such as purchasing massage equipment; office equipment and supplies; leasing a space; hiring and training staff; state fees; and so on.

The intangible expense is going to come with lost time and earnings while you do everything on your own – creating the curriculum, applying to the state, developing school collateral (such as catalogs, contracts, employee handbook and so on) – all while navigating state requirements.

Our program is designed to ease the burden, and cut the process time exponentially. It’s done for you – and we manage the process which allows you to focus on YOU.

Our fees are all inclusive – and we walk you through the process and mentor you using our 12+ years of experience as owning a massage school.

If you are interested in more information on the requirements to open a massage school, let’s hop on a zoom. My mission is to help you launch your school and I am committed to your goals. Call 360-350-0015 to schedule your zoom call.

Shari Aldrich, LMT
Bodymechanics Institute

Open a Massage School with Confidence

I talk to people every day who express an interest in opening their own massage school – but they are held back by fear. Their reasons for wanting their own massage school are many: passion for teaching; their city needs a new/better massage school; they are ready for the next career progression; they need a better retirement plan and so on. All good reasons. I want to help dispel the fear – and help you open a massage school with confidence.

When I came up with the idea to help massage therapists open their own massage school, I knew it was a great idea. However, I was also led by fear and let others opinions of me and my program sway my thinking and I held off on launching a great program.

Overcoming Fear of Failure

Over the years, I’ve been able to let go of the fear which I now understood to be Imposter Syndrome –> I wasn’t good enough and my program wasn’t worthy. Oh boy, those thoughts can just stop you in your tracks!

After I healed from my traumatic finger amputation which virtually ended my massage career, I knew my plan WAS worthy and that I did have a pathway to helping massage therapists open their own massage school.

So what changed?

Simply put, ME.

Over the years, I’ve participated in many high level mastermind groups. I’ve surrounded myself with top level entrepreneurs and I’ve learned from the best. As I shared my plans, I realized that what I am offering IS worthy and that I am not an imposter. I am creating an army of people who can help 1 million people get out of pain – and I’m doing this through many programs I’ve developed over the years.

Gene and Roy from California. Our first massage massage school owners helped during their on-site training in Olympia WA.

California, Kentucky and Washington States on board

I’ve since signed on massage school owners in California, Kentucky and Washington State. It’s exciting to help them launch their dream massage school to help people in their communities learn massage therapy. We were able to help them open a massage school with confidence.

Our done-for-you program includes EVERYTHING needed to open a massage school. We complete the application to your state, we provide curriculum (lecture notes, power points, lesson plans, quizzes and exams), we create policies and procedures based on your state requirements, we help create Standard Operating Procedures for your school.

The best part is that this is NOT A FRANCHISE. Not even close. It’s also NOT a license program. It’s a business-in-a-box program that after you are up and running and feel comfortable, we back away and let you run your school as you see fit. AND we are there for you as a resource as you need over the years. We’ve been at this school ownership thing for 10 years now, and have great tips and advice for a wide variety of situations that arise from owning a school.

You are never alone.

As I considered the fear factor, I came up with the following thoughts:

ON TAKING THE LEAP (CHANCE)

There are 2 scenarios – where do you fall?

1) Watching the altimeter as you leap with FEAR clogging the brain

2) Free falling, enjoying the thrill of the ride and the beauty on the horizon.

Here’s the thing, the more leaps we take, we become conditioned the the risk and our tolerance increases. We become accustomed to the uncomfortable feelings.

When you decide to Take the Leap – even though you are afraid, think back to a time in your life when you had a victory and tap into the emotions you felt when you succeeded.

Small successes flame the fire for future inspiration and help you push through the pain and misery all the way to SUCCESS.

If you’ve considered owning your own massage school, there has NEVER been a better time. The conditions are ripe and your community needs you.

All of these have created an certain need for more quality massage therapists who graduate from passionate school owners. The demand is there – it’s up to us to share the need and the career possibilities with our students.

Bodymechanics Institute launched to fill a need in the market

When I launched Bodymechanics Institute, I wanted to be clear that this is NOT A FRANCHISE or License Model. Primarily, I want LMTs to know that I want to help them open their school, get comfortable running their own school and then we step back and become a mentor as needed.

Our done-for-you model helps you do the hard part of opening your own massage school so you can focus on what’s important to you – your professional practice and your family.

If you want more information, send me a message or call 360.350.0015. I can’t wait to help you!

Committed to your success-

Shari Aldrich, LMT

Open a Massage School

Pain points SOLVED

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

Have you ever thought about how fun, rewarding, exciting, and inspiring it would be to open a massage school?  You’ve been a massage therapist for some time now, you’ve seen the education that students are receiving at other schools, and you know that you could do it better.  Maybe you’ve been thinking about this for a while now… maybe you’ve been thinking about this for years.

If you have thought about owning your own massage school, you’ve probably also thought about what a daunting task it would be.  There are so many things to consider, where would you even start?  

Pain Point #1
Like most of us, you would probably start your search by looking online.  You navigate your way to the agency in your state that approves postsecondary institutions, and then you find your way to the website for the board that oversees massage programs… and what you find is overwhelming.  You’re probably feeling pretty stressed-out just getting this far… you probably need a massage!

Pain Point #2
You see that you will need to apply to the postsecondary education approval agency in your state, and you’ll need to apply to your state massage board.  You’ll need operating procedures, a marketing plan, a course catalog and student handbook.  You’re wondering if you’ll need to be accredited (and what does that word ‘accredited’ mean anyway?!), you will be hiring and training instructors; and perhaps most daunting of all:  creating a quality curriculum that will meet your state’s educational requirements.

Pain Point #3
Those feelings of excitement and inspiration soon give way to feelings of overwhelm and defeat, and the dream stops before it has a chance to gather any potential steam to become a reality. 

But what if you had help to open a massage school?

What if you knew someone who could help you with all of those hurdles that currently seem so insurmountable?  What if you knew someone who has traversed that daunting terrain and has created a roadmap for you?  Bodymechanics Institute has that roadmap, and we know how to get you from the dream to the reality.  

Pain Points Solved…. Our System
At Bodymechanics Institute, we work with the governing agencies within your state to complete the application(s) and submit all of the required paperwork in a detailed, organized, and timely manner.  Our quality, 700-hour curriculum comes complete with lesson plans, lecture notes, power points, quizzes, exams, and syllabi – it’s all done for you!

Once your application is submitted, you’ll join us for a five day immersion training in Tumwater WA.  You’ll get to experience first-hand all that goes on behind-the-scenes in a working massage school environment.  From enrolling students to training instructors, introductory workshops to filing reports – we cover every aspect of massage school operations so that, by day five, you’re feeling confident and ready to start enrolling students for your first class of massage students.

We also include 32-hours of Massage Therapy Instructor training while you’re here. Bring your team of teachers and let us train you and your team on the 10 competencies every massage educator should have.

What’s left for you to do? The honest answer is that there’s still plenty for you to do.  You’ll need to find your perfect location and design the layout for where you’re going to hold classes and clinics.  What will your office look like?  What will the view be like from your office window?  Yes, there is still plenty to do, but you’re not doing it alone.  

PAIN POINTS Solved
Our System

The Bodymechanics system will help guide you through the process by:

  • A roadmap to get you from beginning to end – DONE for you
  • Standard Operating Procedures – DONE for you
  • Policies and Procedures – DONE for you
  • Curriculum – DONE for you
    • Lecture notes
    • Lesson Plans
    • Student Handouts

    • Exams
    • Quizzes
    • Etc.
  • Equipment Research – DONE for you
  • Book Research – DONE for you
  • Research your state process to open a vocational school- DONE for you
    • State, city and county rules and regulations
  • Red tape through the school credentialing process – DONE for you
  • Instructor training – DONE for you
  • Doing it alone while managing your current business or job- WE ARE HERE WITH YOU
    • You will have a point of contact person to help guide you through the process

CONTACT US!
Let us help you through the process – you don’t have to do it alone. If your dream is to open a massage school, we are here beside you to make your dream come true.

1-360-350-0015
www.bodymechanicsinstitute.com